From Community College to Bachelor’s Degree

This study found few differences between students’ academic progress at each type of institution during the first 2 years of college and (contrary to some earlier scholarship) students who do transfer have BA graduation rates equal to similar students who begin at 4-year colleges. However, after 2 years, credit accumulation diverges in the two kinds of institutions, due in part to community college students’ greater involvement in employment, and a higher likelihood of stopping out of college, after controlling for their academic performance. Contrary to some earlier claims, the study finds find that a vocational emphasis in community college is not a major factor behind the disparity. One important mechanism is the widespread loss of credits that occurs after undergraduates transfer from a community college to a 4-year institution; the greater the loss, the lower the chances of completing a BA. However, earlier claims that community college students receive lower aid levels after transfer and that transfers disproportionately fail to survive through the senior year are not supported by the analyses.

Monaghan, D. B., & Attewell, P. (2015). The community college route to the bachelor’s degree. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 37(1), 70-91. https://dx.doi.org/10.3102/0162373714521865

What are College Majors Worth?

This report finds that different majors have different economic value. While going to college is undoubtedly a wise decision, what you take while you’re there matters a lot, too. On average, as we stated, Bachelor’s degree holders earn 84 percent more than those with a high school diploma. However, returns to majors run a wide gamut. At the extreme, the highest earning major earns 314 percent more at the median than the lowest earning major at the median. The difference in earnings potential between a bachelor’s degree in one major versus another can be well over 300 percent. This report analyzes 171 majors in 15 categories. The lifetime advantage ranges from $1.09 million for engineering majors to $241,000 for education majors. The median annual income for a petroleum engineer is $120,000, while the median income for those with a counseling/psychology degree is $29,000.

Carnevale, A., Strohl, J., & Melton, M. (2011). What’s it worth? The economic value of college majors. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

https://cew.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/whatsitworth-complete.pdf